The Emancipation of Mimi: I Want U, Too
by Nesha1
Summary: It's been three years since her family tore them apart...since she left her son on his doorstep. Now she's back to heal old wounds and start over, again. But, will he give her another chance? Mimato.
1. It's Like That

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Digimon_ or its characters! They are property of Toei Animation…you know…the same people who thought Sora and Matt would make a good couple! I also don't own any of the Mariah songs! I'm just an obsessive fan of hers with no life. I work to buy her albums because I know she needs the support!

Ishida "Matt" Yamato - 21 going on 22; Tachikawa Mimi - 21

Special thanks to **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** for beta reading!

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want U, Too) **Chapter 1: _It's Like That, Y'all!_

It was summer 2005 as Tachikawa Mimi sat in the first class section on a plane writing song lyrics to record for the next time she entered the recording studio. She was flying home back to Tokyo, Japan for a five-day concert of her sold-out shows.

The twenty-one-year-old was now a multi-platinum, international pop star. After winning her first Grammy for her debut album, her team of people felt it was wise to start a tour.

"_What better place to kick-off your first tour than your birth city_?" Her manager, and ex-boyfriend, Michael Williams asked her.

They severed their ties after Mimi's parents returned to New York…_after_ she left _her baby_ on _his_ doorstep. Michael did not know about her tumultuous history, which was a great thing because Mimi planned to keep it a secret.

So did her parents.

Not that they would tell anyway; they're dead.

Tachikawa Keisuke and Satoe died two years prior in a car accident, leaving a then nineteen-year-old Mimi alone…and filthy, stinking, unbelievingly rich. She inherited her parent's $500 million (¥58.2 billion)—not including the royalties from her album and upcoming tour—fortune.

With her sudden wealth, Mimi immediately sought out a lawyer to have everything signed over to her son in case something happened to her. She knew money would not replace an absentee mother, but she felt it was the least she could do. Aside from the _very few people_ that know her secret, her lawyer was the only other person who knew she had a three-year-old child.

With the legal documents secured, Mimi decided to pursue a career in modeling. It was just by a stroke of luck she was singing a song to herself at a casting call one day when one of the modeling scouts overhead her. He introduced Mimi to a well-known producer, and one Grammy and an international tour later, the rest was history.

Mimi seriously considered flying to Tokyo the first chance she got after her parents premature death, but fear got the best of her.

There was no way _he_ would want to see her after what she did three years ago. _He_ would not understand why she made the decision she made. _He_ would not listen to her if she were to tell _him_ she gave up _her son_ out of _love…_and _protection_.

Mimi mentally cringed when her mind replayed the cruel words her parents said if she was going to keep _her son_. She did not want _her son_ mistreated. She did not want _her son_ growing up in an unloving and uncaring environment. As difficult as it was, Mimi knew dropping _her son_ on _his_ doorstep was the best decision. She knew deep in her heart, _he_ would love, care, and provide for _her son_.

How her heart ached that day _he_ called out her name after _he_ discovered _her son_ on _his_ doorstep. All Mimi wanted to do was turn around and run into _his_ arms. All she wanted was for them to be a family—just the three of them together, happily ever after.

However, she knew her parents would not allow it. It was one of the many disadvantages of growing up rich and privileged. Her family had a "reputation to maintain", and if any one of her parent's high-profile friends found out that "darling little Mimi" had premarital sex, got pregnant, and gave birth to an illegitimate child all _before_ her eighteenth birthday, she would have indeed, "shamed the family's name".

Therefore, her parents threatened her. Mimi knew her parents would stop at _nothing_ to make her should-have-been family's life miserable. They _did_ have the money _and_ power to bring their threats to life.

Mimi sacrificed _her son_, along with her heart, for her should-have-been family's happiness.

After her team pestered her—"_I don't want to do an international tour_!"—Mimi finally agreed.

_This is a bad idea. A_ very_ bad idea_, she told herself,_ what if I bump into_ him? Mimi knew the chances of her running into _him_ were zero to none. Tokyo is indeed a large city, and now that she's a celebrity, she knew she'd have security guards protecting her at all times. She will be in Tokyo, _not_ the small, "everybody-knows-your-name" suburb of Odaiba.

_Still…what if… I'm not ready to face_ him_ again. _He_ hates me I just know it_!_ What if _he _bought a ticket to one of my shows_?_ No…if_ he _hates me—and I'm sure_ he _does—he wouldn't do that. Still…_

"Meems?"

Mimi gazed into the deep, azure eyes of her manager and male best friend. "Yes, Michael?"

"Is something wrong? You look kind of…distant…"

Shaking her head as she fingered her ice blue, silky tresses, Mimi replied, "No, Michael. I'm fine, really. I appreciate your concern."

"That's good to hear." He nodded slowly. "I bet you can't wait till you get back to Tokyo after being in America for so long. Hey, you know what; you might even see some of your friends, again!"

Mimi's stomach fell to her knees when her when her manager mentioned the "F" word. She did not contact anyone from the old gang purely from shame and guilt. She knew _he_ told them what happened and she did not want to answer any "why" questions.

Mimi placed her notebook and pen inside the pouch in the seat in front of her. _It's too late to turn back now the plane's landing. I'm home…_

- - - - -

"Cleanup on Aisle 7", a male's voice was heard throughout the walls of Kakemono Supermarket.

Twenty-one-year-old Ishida Yamato, better known to his family and friends as "Matt", covered his face with his hand and groaned in frustration. "Damned high-schoolers; always fucking up shit," he muttered under his breath. He released the microphone to the loudspeaker, cursing the fact that it was summer vacation and he helped the store's manager hire a bunch of clumsy delinquents who couldn't even stock items without breaking something. "I'll be so _glad_ when school starts!"

Matt was one of three assistant managers (the youngest as a matter of fact) who helped supervise the Kakemono Supermarket. After his first two years since he was hired, his supervisor was impressed with Matt's work ethnic and promoted him to Shift Leader, then to Assistant Manager.

That meant more benefits, more pay, and of course, more responsibilities. Speaking of which, Matt began to head towards Aisle 7, knowing no one else would volunteer to clean up whatever that spilled.

_How did my life end up like this_? Matt thought bitterly as he slowly began his journey. _When I started working here, it was only supposed to be temporary. I never thought I would be working a dead-end supermarket job for_ three years! _Even with my promotion, I hardly have enough to support MJ and myself_. _Thank goodness, I can use my employee discount whenever I go grocery shopping._

Sighing wistfully, Matt rounded the corner and scowled at the pile of magazines on the floor…and the bumbling teenaged fans that obviously caused it.

"Like ohmigod, she's _so_ _pretty_!" a redhead sixteen-year-old squealed excitedly.

"Totally!" another blonde replied with equal excitement. "I can't wait to go to her show tomorrow night!"

Together the pair of best friends thumbed through one of the magazines, rapidly reading the article, then tossing it in the pile on the floor along with the others.

"Me either!" the redhead shouted joyously. "I still can't believe we bought the _last two tickets_ to her concert!"

"Look!" the blonde pointed to another magazine. "We missed one!"

The teens made a beeline to snatch the magazine from the stand, but before they could move an inch, a voice stopped them in their tracks.

"What's going on here?" Matt yelled at the girls. He narrowed his eyes at the carelessly strewn magazines on the floor, and glared at the teens. "What are you girls, doing?"

"Uh…nothing…" the blonde slowly replied, cowering in fear along with her friend when they noticed Matt's irate expression.

Together they slowly backed away from the fuming assistant manager as he slowly advanced towards them. The redhead looked at the blonde and gave her a short nod.

Before Matt could reach them, the teens burst into a sprint, quickly running away from him.

Releasing an irritated sigh, Matt knelt down and picked each magazine one-by-one. He turned one over and glanced at the cover, and immediately tossed it to the floor.

There she was.

The woman after three years still haunted his dreams, reveries, and nearly everything else involving his subconscious.

Tachikawa Mimi still looked as beautiful as she did now, just as she did when her parents separated her away from him at graduation three years ago.

Obviously, she lost the baby fat, and Matt slowly licked his lips admiring her slim, curvy figure. On the magazine's cover, Mimi's long, pretty, ice blue hair was tousled, and she stood in a sexually suggestive pose blowing a kiss, wearing an ice blue, satin bikini, with matching satin ice blue pumps. The cover's headline read _Pop Sensation Mimi Kisses and Tells All_.

Matt wanted to snatch the magazine, along with every other copy and destroy them. Once upon a time, her body was solely for his viewing pleasure, _only_. He knew he couldn't take the magazines and risk losing his job, so he tucked one underneath his shirt to purchase before his shift ended.

"I swear Kami is punishing me," Matt groaned as he gathered the rest of the magazines from the floor. "She's known worldwide and has more money than God, and yet I'm dirt-poor, and stuck working my ass off in this hellhole. Life _isn't_ fair."

"No boss, it's not. We do what we have to do in order to survive." Keitaro knelt down next to the sullen blond and helped him gather the magazines. "But you gotta admit," he said as he held up one of the copies of _Pop_ magazine, "Mimi's pretty hot! _Man_, I wish I had the chance to have her for only _one night_! I bet her legs are just as long in person!"

_Yeah, they are_.

"Too bad I have to miss her concert, though." Keitaro sighed regretfully.

"Concert?" Matt looked at his employee and asked, "What concert?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Keitaro stared incredulously at the older man.

"No, I _don't_ know." Matt rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth. "So tell me."

"Well, Mimi's going to headline a global tour. She's starting the tour for five days right here in Tokyo! It's the talk of the town! I'm surprised you didn't know about it."

_So am I_, Matt told himself. _I've been so busy with MJ and work; I don't have time to keep up with pop culture. Mimi's going to be in town for five days…_

"What day is her concert?" Matt interrogated the young, grocery worker.

"The first show starts tomorrow. But don't push your luck," Keitaro adjusted his glasses and explained himself, "because all five of her shows have been sold out for weeks."

_Damn, well that nixes that idea_. Standing up to full height, Matt looked down at the young worker and said, "Finish this up for me, will you? I have some business to take care of."

"Aye, aye, sir," Keitaro joked as he gave the assistant manager a mock salute.

"Whatever," Matt rolled his eyes, turned around and left the teen to make a few phone calls.

- - - - -

"**DADDY**!" three-year-old Ishida Yamato Jr. squealed the moment Matt entered his apartment. The very _same_ apartment he wanted to share with Mimi. This was their daily routine. Every time Matt comes home from work, his son would greet him with a warm, opened-armed welcome.

"Hey, little man!" Matt grinned proudly as he picked up the chubby three-year-old. "You had fun with Aunt Sora today?"

"Uh, huh," the eager child nodded.

Matt sat his son on the sofa next to a glowing Sora. He stood back and admired MJ's appearance. It still boggled his mind to this day. Yamato Jr. looked _exactly_ like him to a tee. He had the same sunshine blond hair and large, bright blue eyes that always bore intense curiosity. He did not look anything like Mimi.

Nevertheless, he _did_ have her personality. Matt saw it in him already. MJ was extremely curious, very happy, and kind. Unlike most children, MJ wasn't afraid of meeting strangers, always greeting them with a large smile and open arms. Matt did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. So far, nothing bad happened so he'll consider it a good thing for now.

MJ also inherited his mother's expensive taste, much to Matt's dismay, and bank account.

Matt should have known because all of the signs were there since birth. When MJ was an infant, and whenever Matt would change his diapers (he only used the cheap Kakemono brand), he would find baby MJ with many-a-diaper rash. He tried using the Kakemono brand Diaper Rash Balm—that did not work. He also tried every other cheap remedy as well—none of those worked, either.

Swallowing his pride, Matt finally emptied his pockets and bought the more expensive brand diapers and balm—Huggies and Desitin.

Both worked like a charm!

As the months passed the only baby food MJ would consume was Gerber. The juice he prefers to drink—Juicy Juice. His favorite water is Aquafina. (He does not like the taste from the tap.) Now at the age of three, MJ could eat table foods and he's going through his "macaroni phase" now. The brands he enjoys are Kraft and Velveeta Shells 'n' Cheese.

Matt was the thankful MJ was not old enough to pick out his own clothes, yet. _This boy is going to be the reason why I'm going to file for bankruptcy one day_.

"Thanks again, Sora," Matt told her, clearing his head from his thoughts. Sora stood from the sofa and hugged her longtime friend. "I feel like I'm using you because you won't let me pay you for babysitting."

Sora waved her hand, ignoring Matt's statement. "I told you I refuse to accept any money from you. I'm more than happy to care for my nephew."

"Thanks again, Sora. You're the best."

"You're welcome, Matt."

"Uh…" Matt grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen, away from MJ. Once he ensued their privacy, he faced her and asked, "Tell me, have you heard anything about Mimi returning to Tokyo for a concert?" he whispered.

"Oh, um," Sora looked away from Matt's piercing blue gaze to stare at the small, charred oven. "Yeah…I have… It's supposed to be for a few days, or something like that…"

Matt's expression became grim. "How long have you known about this?"

"Oh, um…" Sora still refused to look at the blond. "For maybe a month, now…"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Matt hollered hysterically.

"Because of what happened three years ago…I…didn't know how you'd react to the news. Plus," the redhead finally glanced at the angry father, "Mimi's homecoming is the only thing everyone around town is talking about. _Everyone_ knew, so naturally I assumed you knew, too…"

"Well, I didn't find out until today," Matt told her.

"Oh," Sora nodded. "So, what are you planning to do about it?"

"I'm planning on seeing her, that's what." Matt stated flatly. "Come hell or high water, I'm determined to confront Mimi and demand some answers!"

Sora shook her head at the idea. "Matt, don't do anything that'll get you in trouble. Mimi is not the same Mimi, anymore. She's a celebrity for goodness sakes! You could get in _serious_ trouble!"

"I'm not going to do anything drastic." Matt reassured his friend. "All I wanna know is _why_. Why…why did it have to end the way it did?"

Sora hugged her friend and rested her head on his shoulder. "We all wanna know, Matt. You weren't the only one suffering. I…I suffered, too. I'm supposed to be her best friend. I'll never understand why Mimi…"

"**MIMI**!" MJ yelled at the top of his small lungs from the kitchen doorway.

"Huh? What was that, little man?" Matt released himself from Sora's embrace to face his son.

"Mimi, Daddy, Mimi! She's on TV!" MJ quickly exited the kitchen to rush into the living room. Matt and Sora tailgated behind. MJ pointed to the television set and sure enough, Mimi stood amidst a sea of television cameras and reporters.

Matt reached for the remote and cranked up the volume on the set.

"_Mimi, you've had such amazing success in America. Your debut album sold over one million copies, and you won your first Grammy. After everything that's happened to you overseas, how does it feel to finally be back at home?"_

Sora placed her right hand over her heart just as Matt held his breath waiting for the pop idol's response.

"**MIMI…MIMI…MIMI…**!" her loyal fans chanted in the background.

They watched as Mimi tossed her hair over her shoulders, smiling at the cameras, looking very much like a successful pop diva and spoke.

"_Um…you know what? I am very happy to be at home. I was born here, I grew up here, and I had many great friends by my side…"_

"Mimi…" Sora whispered while blinking away sudden tears.

"…_and I see I have many fans here, too!"_

Matt kept quiet, but pursed his lips when Mimi turned towards her fans and waved. They all responded by cheering loudly for their favorite singer.

"_Do you have any plans to tour the city, or maybe visit any old friends in your free time?"_

"_Uh…well, I'm pretty busy with this tour so I don't even think I'll have_ any _free time. However, I would love to take a day to myself and just_ pamper _myself in downtown Tokyo! It feels like I haven't shopped in_ ages_! I'm sure my ladies can relate, am I right?"_

Mimi faced the gathering crowd again and all the women shouted their support.

"_I'm sure you will. Is there anything you'd like to say to anybody that's here in Tokyo that may be watching, perhaps to your old friends?"_

Matt frowned at Mimi's sudden nervous expression. Before she could answer, a hand covered the camera lens, blocking the view. A male voice shouted over the chaos: _"No more questions! Mimi has to prepare for tomorrow's show!"_

Sora snatched the remote from Matt's grip and turned off the TV. "I guess we'll never know…"

"She…she wants to take a day to go _shopping_?" the blond asked in disbelief. "She has completely forgotten about us!"

Before Sora could reply, they listened to MJ's voice shouting over their conversation.

"_You'll always be my baby_…!" MJ began to sing Mimi's number one hit as he circled the living room. "_You…and I…will al…ways be_…!" Stopping in front of Matt, MJ looked up into his father's eyes and happily cheered, "I like Mimi, Daddy!"

Gathering his son in his arms for the second time that evening, he did not want to say anything that would upset him. Therefore he smiled and replied, "I do too, little man."

- - - - -

I was going up and down, and back and forth thinking of an appropriate title for this story, and _The Emancipation_ just seemed…right. To emancipate means to free (one of the definitions, anyway) and Mimi's finally free from her parent's control over her. Nothing's stopping her from finally being with the one she really loves…is it?

I'm warning you, though…I've never written a sequel before, so don't get **too** mad if it isn't better than _I Want U_. Writing sequels is new to me, so…

And from the positive and not-so-positive reviews I received for _I Want U_, I've decided to make this story have a happy ending! I wanted to try something different with _I Want U_, but many people weren't feeling it. So, I'm going to go with a regular, clichéd, Mimato story for this one, but with a **twist**.

**About Matt:** In most clichéd **Mimato** stories, Matt is always the rich, popular, suave, rock star, player-type. Best-looking, best dressed, do I need to go on? Well for this story, I wanted him as a regular, 9-5 working a dead-end job, taking care of his son type of guy. I got the idea from **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** story, _Secrets Tied in a Big Red Bow_; she has Matt working in a grocery market. That got me thinking, "Hey, that's different! I like that idea!" Matt still maintains his cool, (Tai's a hundred times cooler!) but he's not placed on any pedal stool.


	2. We Belong Together

Special thanks to **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** for beta reading!

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want U, Too)** Chapter 2: _Come Back Baby Please, We Belong Together_

After sending Sora home and feeding MJ his bowl of Shells n' Cheese, Matt bathed his son and put him to bed. He also showered, slipped into his pajamas and climbed in bed.

Turning on his bedside lamp, Matt retrieved the magazine that featured Mimi on this month's cover. "Well, Princess," Matt spoke as he slid on his thin, gold-plated reading glasses. "Let's see what you're going to tell."

He thumbed through the pages of _Pop_ until he found Mimi's interview. Matt sat up in the bed and relaxed his back against the pillows, and started reading.

**Pop:** _Well, I have to say congratulations on winning your first Grammy. Tell me, did you ever expect to win for Best New Artist_?

**Mimi:** _Heavens, no! And thank you_. (giggles) _I_ _didn't think I'd_ _win at all. It is truly an honor. I'm so thankful because it's such a prestigious award. You can only win for Best New Artist, once_!

**Pop:** _That's_ _right. You have an_ amazing _voice, especially for a woman your age. Tell me, what made you want to pursue singing as a career?_

**Mimi:** _It was by accident, actually. I was at a modeling casting call, and while I was waiting in line, I began to sing to myself to pass the time along. A scout overheard me, introduced me to some people…and the rest is history_. (grins)

"Things always did come easy for you, huh Mimi?" Matt muttered sourly.

**Pop:** _Who inspired you to sing_?

Matt straightened his position and paid _close_ attention to what Mimi had to say next.

**Mimi:** _I had a friend back in high school that used to sing in a local band. After I listened to him perform, he invited me onstage to sing. I was a little nervous at first because I never sung_ _in front of an audience, before;_ _but I gave it my all, and he really liked it! So did the crowd_!

_That's not how it happened, Mimi, and you know it_. Matt thought sarcastically as he turned the page.

**Pop:** _Wow_! _That's very interesting. Now it's time for us_ _to get "naughty". We have a lot of male readers who want_ _to know everything about you_.

**Mimi:** (blushes) _Oh, man, I'm nervous_! (chuckles) _But I'm an open book, and I came prepared_.

**Pop:** Alright_…_ _First question: Are you single_?

**Mimi:** Very! _I haven't had time for a relationship because I've been so focused on my career. The music business can keep you_ extremely _busy_.

**Pop:** _Well, I'm sure all of your male fans are happy to know you're currently available_.

_It's time to see how far you are going with this, Princess_. Matt thought as he sipped some water, and rested the cup on the nightstand. _This should be_ very _interesting_…

**Pop:** _Okay, final question; what do you hope your fans will gain from your tour_?

**Mimi:** _Well, I hope—I_ want _them to have fun, and to enjoy the experience with me. This is my first tour, and I'm extremely nervous about it. But I know if I give it my all, they'll hopefully gain a new respect for me_.

**Pop:** _Thank_ _you Mimi for your time, and I do hope everything_ _goes_ _well for you_.

**Mimi:** _Thank you for having me. This was fun_.

Matt removed his reading glasses and placed them, along with the closed magazine on the nightstand. Yawning tiredly, he stretched his muscles, turned off the lamp and attempted to go to sleep.

- - - - -

"Mimi, as your manager I have to tell you that going out is a _very_ bad idea. You should be focused on preparing for the show!" Michael tried to explain to his best friend.

Together they rode in the backseat of a limo heading downtown for an autograph signing at Mimi's request. Mimi shrugged and stared out of the window.

"Michael, it's eleven in the morning. The show doesn't start until eight pm."

"But what about the tour promotions?" Michael shouted.

"All of that comes later in the week, doesn't it?" Mimi replied. "I'm scheduled for the radio station on Wednesday, the talk show, Thursday, and my interview for the _Tokyo_ _Chronicle_ is Friday. This means I have the first two days of this week to myself, if you don't count tonight's show. I want to enjoy them the best way I can. What a better way to enjoy my first day off' than to spend it with my fans?"

"But are you sure going out in public for an autograph signing is the best way to enjoy your little bit of time off?" Michael shook his head and sighed. He knew there was nothing he could say would change Mimi's mind. She was as stubborn as a bull, and she'd listen to no one when she wanted something her way.

"Think about the large crowds of people swarming you! How is that rest, relaxation, and enjoyment? I still believe it's best for you to remain in your hotel room until rehearsals tonight."

"Michael, just stop, okay?" Mimi faced the blond and frowned. "I'm a celebrity, and swarming fans comes with my job. If things get a little too out-of-hand while we're out, we have Rufus to take care of me, right?"

When Michael didn't respond, Mimi took it as a sign to continue.

"Thank you. Now, all I want to do is enjoy myself, alright? My fans have supported me, and I want to show my appreciation for it. What a better way to show my appreciation than to have an autograph signing?"

"Hmm…" Michael hummed. He still didn't think the autograph signing was a good idea, but if it was what Mimi wanted, he had no choice but to comply. "Fine. Have it your way. But when things get out of control, _don't_ say I didn't try to warn you."

"I won't; because I know you'll be the _first_ one to say it."

- - - - -

When Matt parked in his spot at Kakemono Supermarket and exited his vehicle, he looked across the street at the long, crowded line of people outside Nakako Music store.

"I wonder what's going on. It's hot as _hell_ out here! How _anybody_ can stand to be out in this heat, especially in a crowd, is unbelievable." Shrugging because, in the end, he didn't care; Matt strolled inside the automatic doors to his job.

After the blond clocked-in to begin his shift, the first person he spotted was Keitaro fast-approaching him.

"Matt? Matt?" Keitaro shouted as he jogged down an aisle towards his assistant manager. "_Matt_?"

"_Shit_," Matt muttered irritably under his breath as he scrubbed his hand against his face.

"What Keitaro?" he sighed tiredly. Matt slowly began to walk towards the teen, meeting him halfway.

"Matt," Keitaro stopped jogging, bent over and clutched his stomach, gasping for breath, beads of perspiration forming along his hairline. "_Matt_…."

"If you call out my name _one_ _more_ _time_…" He didn't have time for whatever Keitaro wanted. So far, all Keitaro wanted to do was say his name.

"Sorry, boss," Keitaro continued to pant, looking up at his supervisor. "But I have something to ask you…"

Matt folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the teen. "So ask me."

Keitaro straightened his posture and coughed a few times before he spoke. "I wanted to know if you'll let me leave early today."

"Early?" Matt frowned at the black-haired worker before replying. "Why should I? Have you been on the clock for four hours?"

"Um…no…" "But it's really important, Matt!" he shouted as he looked at his supervisor, again. "I _have_ to leave early, today!"

"Why didn't you ask Jensei to leave early?"

"I did, but he told me to ask you." Keitaro nervously shifted on his feet as he looked past Matt and out the windows, staring enviously at the crowd across the street.

"So…I'm asking you," he looked at Matt, again. "Can I leave early?"

"And just what is going on that's so important that you need to clock out so soon?" Matt raised a suspicious brow at the young, nervous stocker.

"Um…see…" Keitaro looked down at the shiny, linoleum floor, and laced his fingers behind his back. "There's an autograph signing today and…"

"You want to leave work early for an _autograph signing_?" Matt asked incredulously. "I can't believe you actually have the _nerve_ to ask me something as stupid as…"

"But Mimi's only going to be at Nakako Music until two! I don't get off until five! Please Matt, you have to understand…"

"_Mimi_?" Matt interrupted Keitaro's plea.

"Uh…yeah…?" The teen glanced at his boss suspiciously and shrugged. "She's going to be there from twelve until two this afternoon. It's only for today, though. I'm surprised you didn't see the huge banner outside of the store."

Keitaro pointed past Matt at the store across the street. Matt turned around and read the large white banner with bold red letters: **Autograph Signing With Mimi Today! 12 till 2**

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle…" _How did I miss_ that? Matt wondered. _And why am I_ always _the last to know about what's going on_?

"So…" Keitaro tried once more to convince his boss that Mimi was more important than work. "Can I clock-out early?"

Matt looked back-and-forth from the store to the young grocery worker, and shrugged. "Sure, Keitaro; go." He didn't want to deny his best employee the chance of a lifetime to meet his favorite singer.

"Oh, _thank you, thank you, thank you_!" Keitaro bowed repeatedly, showing his appreciation. "I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"I know you will!" Matt assured the teen. "I expect you here an hour early tomorrow, and I also expect for you to stay an hour later to make up for today. Understood?"

"Of course!" Keitaro shouted excitedly. "For Mimi, I'd slave until the end of my days!" He quickly ran from Matt, just in case the blonde decided to change his mind at the last minute.

_For_ _Mimi, I'd_ _slave until the end of my days_! Matt thought about Keitaro's words. _I guess Mimi has that affect on_ all _men_... Again, he glanced at the music store and the thick crowd and sighed, which became an angry scowl.

_I have to get out of here_! Matt exited the aisle and entered the manager's office located at the back of the store to find his supervisor, Jensei. Once he spotted the redhead, he tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.

Jensei was an older man who appeared thirty, looked at his youngest assistant manager and smiled. "Yes, Yamato?"

"Um…" Swallowing nervously, Matt gave a feigned smile of confidence to his boss. "Something came up. I got a call from my sitter saying something was wrong with my son… I need the rest of the day off."

"Hmm…" Jensei eyed Matt up and down before speaking. He knew that Matt was a good worker, had never missed any days since he began working for Kakemono three years ago, and handled his duties and responsibilities well.

"You may leave, Yamato."

"Thank you, sir." Matt bowed appreciatively. He hurried, clocked-out, and exited the supermarket.

Once he was outside, Matt used his hand as a shield from the bright sun as he dodged traffic to get across the street. _I_ hate _using MJ as my scapegoat, but I need to see Mimi_…

He stood in front of Nakako Music and groaned frustratingly at the long line. The line stretched around the building and two blocks down. _I don't have time to wait. I have to see Mimi,_ now!

Matt rudely pushed and elbowed Mimi's fans, including Keitaro, out of the way to get inside the music store.

"Ouch!"

"Hey!"

"You can't cut the line!"

"Jerk!"

It surprised him that no security was guarding outside. _I guess it's because it's too hot._ Before he knew it, Matt was inside the air-conditioned music store, with six people ahead of him waiting for Mimi to autograph their pop paraphernalia.

_That was_ too _easy_! _Now, if only I can get ahead of these…_ Matt's thoughts rapidly disappeared as he saw a large, muscle-bound Black man, with his arms folded, hovering over the table where Mimi sat.

_Well, there's no chance of me kicking his ass to get to Mimi_, the assistant manager thought wryly. He scowled as he saw the clean-cut, blond, blue-eyed man sitting next to the mother of his child talking on a cell phone.

_Michael_.

But what made his heart stop was the woman who sat at the center of the table amidst all of the chaos.

Mimi's bright, brown eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke casually with every fan that approached her. Her ice-blue hair flowed in waves past her shoulders, and sunlight that filtered through the windows illuminated her peaches-and-cream complexion.

_She looks a million times better than she ever did_! _It's still hard to believe_ I'm _the father of her child_!

"Next!" a voice shouted.

Matt shook his head from his daze when everyone in the store looked at him. "Oh, I'm next," he said to himself. He quickly snatched a magazine from the stand with Mimi on the cover, and slowly walked towards the table…

- - - - -

As Mimi scribbled her signature on one of her photographs, a certain presence at the table made her stop. She didn't look up; she didn't have to because she felt _him_ standing over her.

Her hands shook as she passed the photograph to her bodyguard, Rufus, who passed it along to a fan. She still refused to tilt her head up and look at _him_. She knew that if she stared into those mesmerizing blue eyes of _his_ she'd lose control. She'd probably make a spectacle of herself in front of her fans because _he_ still had a certain effect on her.

Mimi could smell _him_, feel _him_, and taste _him_ from where she sat. Her senses were in overdrive, and she clutched the black marker for support.

After three years _he_ still made her mind and body numb with wanting. And what she wanted right now was to take _him_ away somewhere so they'd make love and start afresh. But Mimi knew the chances of that happening were zero to none. Her life was different now. There were certain boundaries that couldn't be crossed. She and _he_ were forbidden, now. There was no point in digging up old dirt that was swept under the rug years ago.

Swallowing a bit of saliva, Mimi cleared her throat and asked, "W…who should I make th…this out…t…to…?" Her eyes never left the table for fear of seeing _his_ face after three years.

Her body tingled as she listened to _his_ soft, sexy voice fill the air.

"Make it out to your number one fan…

"…Ishida Yamato…

"…_Junior_."


	3. Shake It Off

Special thanks to **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** for beta reading!

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want U, Too)** Chapter 3: _Just Shake it Off_

"_Ishida Yamato_…

"_Junior_…

Mimi repeated the words in her mind. _Ishida Yamato…Junior_…_my_…_son_… Her hand shook as she tried to scribble the words on the magazine. After inspecting her chicken-scratch, she noticed the writing was illegible. Not caring, she nervously handed the magazine to Rufus, who passed it to Matt.

Matt grabbed the magazine and frowned at the writing. _What in the hell is this_? Mimi's writing reminded him of a preschooler's doing. _There's nothing but circles and dots all over the_ _damned thing_! _You think after three years, she could at least write something decent for me_.

Scowling, he angrily tossed the magazine on the table, and asked, "Can you write this, again? I can't read it."

"Sorry, no do-over's," Rufus replied gruffly.

Mimi held up her hand, and said, "It's…its okay…Rufus… I'll…I'll write…it…" She still refused to look at the blond frowning down at her. Swallowing hard, she gathered her strength and wrote the words in plain, bold letters.

Matt's frown deepened as he became angry. _What is her problem_? _She won't even look at me_! _Does she hate me that much_? Gathering courage, he placed his hands on the table, and leaned down until his face was only millimeters away from hers. He felt her body heat radiate from her pores, and took pride as beads of perspiration formed along her hairline.

_She's nervous, is she_? _Good_! _It'll serve her right_! "Are you frightened by my face, old friend? Or after three years I still make you nervous?" he whispered huskily in her ear. "When I used to make you nervous, you'd succumb to me so _easily_. You were _very_ easy back then. Remember our tryst in the hall at school?"

_Oh, no_… Mimi thought as she closed her eyes and chewed her bottom lip. Goose bumps pricked her skin, and she finally gathered strength to stare at _his_ face. "Matt…" she breathed, barely an audible whisper. Before either of them could respond, Rufus lunged forward in the blonds' direction.

"**No**," Mimi shouted as she reached over the table and wrapped her arms around her son's father's neck; protecting him from Rufus' attack. "**Rufus, don't**! **I won't let you hurt him**!"

"_Mimi_…" Matt whispered, his eyes widening from shock. He felt a stab of joy pierce his heart, and his arms circled around her back, resting below her spine.

"Wha…?"

"What's going on?"

"Who's that man?"

"Does she know him?"

"I doubt it; look at his clothes! It's obvious he works over there at Kakemono, but who knows?"

Everyone in the store murmured amongst themselves, wondering about Mimi and her connection to the grocery worker.

"Let…me…call…you back…" Michael dragged out slowly as he watched Mimi embracing the blond. He flipped his cell phone closed without waiting for the person's reply, and examined the man's face closely.

_Fine blond hair, the same, angled face, except he only appears a few years older, those damned blue eyes_… Michael's curious expression immediately turned grim with pent-up fury. _**Matt**_… _What in the_ hell _is_ he _doing_ _here_?

"Rufus," Michael stood up and shouted over the chaos in the store, "get rid of him for me, _now_!"

"With pleasure," Rufus replied as he balled his fists, cracking his knuckles, preparing to throw Matt out of the store by any means.

"Damnit, I said **no**!" Mimi screamed, jumping over the table to stand in front of Matt, using her body as shield. She outstretched her arms, glared at Rufus and Michael, and hollered, "You won't lay a finger on him! So just stop it, _alright_?"

"Mimi, he's causing trouble," Michael replied with a scowl directed at the assistant manager. "He's nothing but trash!"

"Watch your mouth, Michael…" Mimi slowly replied with venom in her brown eyes. "That's no way to talk about _anyone_! That was completely uncalled for!"

"But, Mimi…"

"But, _nothing_; I said no' and darn it, I mean it!"

"I really _don't_ want to know what's going on here," the owner of Nakako Music approached Michael and spoke, "but you need to do something about this, _now_!"

Michael looked at the curious crowd of spectators and knew this was going to be all over the city by tonight. He didn't want any bad press on his favorite client, so he did exactly what any reputation-loving manager would do…

"I'm sorry everyone, but Mimi's not signing anymore autographs, today."

…he cruelly kicked all of her fans out of the store.

Mimi wanted to protest, but she decided it was for the best. She watched horrifically as each of her fans grumbled, shouted, and cried as they were rudely escorted out of Nakako Music from the security guards.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"I've been standing here for hours!"

"_I hate you, Mimi_!"

That comment stung, and Mimi slightly cringed at the words. Frowning at Michael, she yelled, "You could've been a bit more cordial, don't you think?"

"Mimi why is _he_ here?" Michael ignored Mimi's question and pointed his finger in Matt's direction. "You see he's the one who caused all of the trouble!"

"I did _nothing_, but come here to get an autograph for _my son_." Matt replied defensively, as he folded his arms over his chest; a horrible substitute for punching the daylights out of the smug, cocky blond talking shit. "Mimi _is_ his favorite singer."

_Okay, that's a lie as far as I know_, Matt thought wryly. _But MJ does know who she is, and that has to count for something, right_?

_Son_, Michael thought unbelievingly as he stared at both Mimi, who still remained rooted in her spot in front of Matt, and the man in question._It can't be_… _I remember on Christmas she told me she was pregnant by that_…street trash _three years ago, but when she came home she wasn't pregnant anymore; and there was no baby_. _That means_ _his_ _son_ can't_be hers_!

_But why is he_ really_here_? _The son-of-a-bitch is probably after her money_! _Well, he's not going_ _to use his voodoo charmsto take advantage of her like he did in the past, I'll make sure of it because I'm here to protect her, now_!

"I also need to talk to Mimi…in private…" Matt continued, although he knew he wasn't going to be allowed anywhere _near_ Mimi, but it was worth a shot.

"No can do, buddy," Rufus shook his head dismissively, his voice gruff and hard. "If you have something to say to Mimi, you can say it in front of _all_ of us."

Matt looked around the store and glanced at Michael, Rufus, Mimi, a few more bodyguards, and the store's owner, and sighed. _As much as I would_ love_to humiliate Mimi about our son in front of everyone, it just wouldn't be_…right_. What would be the point in destroying her reputation_? _I love her too much to do something so_...vile…

_Wait a minute_? _I_ love_her_?

"Don't…don't worry, Rufus," Mimi looked down at her feet and whispered. "Nothing's going to happen to me…"

"Just where exactly do you plan on taking Mimi?" Michael tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Matt's reply. "I just don't understand what's so important that the two of you need to talk about _privately_, when it can be discussed _publicly_."

"Michael, I already said that's enough," Mimi looked up and glared at her manager. "I heard enough out of you for today." Turning to Rufus, she said, "If you'd come with us so he can tell me what he needs to, I'd be more than glad."

Matt wasn't exactly comfortable with another person tagging along, but if that was the only way he could get Mimi alone, then so be it. "No, I don't mind. This will be real quick."

Rufus nodded without replying.

Together the trio exited the music store, leaving Michael dumbfounded. "What the…?"

- - - - -

The group rode in silence in the back of Mimi's limo, waiting to reach their destination. Mimi toyed with the strands of her hair, nervously anticipating what was going to happen, next.

_Is he out for revenge_? _Is this some scheme he's been plotting, waiting for the right time to_ _unfold it_? _Why did I agree to come along with him so quickly_?

Matt folded his arms and closed his eyes, reaming as cool and calm as possible; or as calm as a person could get when they had a six-foot, two-hundred-plus pound bodyguard with a pistol in his lap sitting directly next to him, waiting for the right chance to attack.

_In a few more minutes, Mimi's going to meet her son for the first time_, he thought. Oddly enough, Matt wasn't happy about the situation, but he wasn't upset, either. Considering how their relationship ended three years ago, he thought he would be after revenge, but that isn't the case. He also thought that he would bombard the mother of his child with a bunch of "why" questions, but asking "why" wouldn't change the past, would it?

"Were here," the driver announced as she parked the limo in front of a small apartment complex.

Mimi looked out the tinted glass and nearly fainted as she recognized the familiar apartment building. _This is the apartment Matt rented for us years ago_… Tears clouded her vision as nostalgia filled her heart, tearing away at her soul. _After all of these years, why hasn't he tried to move somewhere nicer_?

Guilt immediately ate at her conscience. She was living the lap of luxury, enjoying the spoils of her labor, and _her family_ was stuck living in a run-down, low-income section of her old hometown. _Why_?

Rufus tucked away his pistol and exited the car, followed by Matt, and the bodyguard held the door open for Mimi so she could climb out.

"What do you need for me to do, Miss?" the driver asked as she stuck his head out of the driver's side window. "Do you want me to wait here?"

Mimi shook her head, "no". "That's not necessary, Kurumi. I'll call you and let you know when you can pick me up."

"Okay," the strawberry-haired driver replied with a shrug. She revved the engine and drove away.

Inspecting the worn brick buildings, Rufus frowned and said, "Nice area you live in."

"Well, we do what we can afford," Matt replied sarcastically. "My apartment's this way." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and led the way.

Rufus shielded Mimi's body with his own, just in case a few nosy people were peeking through their blinds.

Mimi reached in her clutch and pulled out her sunglasses. She covered her eyes with a pair of large, dark Christian Dior shades, and stayed close behind her bodyguard as he followed behind Matt inside the apartment building.

The trio walked up the rickety, weakened steps of the hall, and they had to hold their breaths to prevent the stale, musty air from entering their lungs. As Mimi tagged behind Rufus, she held his arm with one hand, and used the other to hold on to the stair rail. Steam escaped her clothes, as sweat build inside of her, anxiously waiting for the moment when she'd see her son for the first time since he was born.

_I_ _don't know how to feel; my body is numb. I don't know what he looks like. Does he look like me, Matt, or a mixture of both of us_? _Will he be happy to see me_? _Or will he hate me for being a bad_ _mother_? _IsRufus going to keep this a secret_? _Do I want it to be kept a secret any longer_?

"We're here," Matt spoke as he pulled out his key from his pocket and inserted it into the lock.

"Hey there, buddy," Rufus growled at the assistant manager. "We didn't agree to come to your place."

Matt gave the bodyguard a hard look, and replied, "You agreed to come with me wherever I wanted, and this is where I wanted to go."

Rufus held Mimi back as he reached in the waistband of his jeans to retrieve his pistol…

"Oh, and another thing," Matt held up his hand, stopping Rufus' movements. "I have a three-year-old son in there, and I don't want _any_ guns around my child. Understand?"

Stretching his fingers, Rufus grunted an "hm", and rested his hand at his side. Turning around, he faced Mimi and asked, "Are you ready, Miss?"

Tears formed against her eyelids, but Mimi blinked them back as she nodded. "Yes, I'm ready," she whispered.

Hearing those words, Matt unlocked his front door, and opened it. After entering, he opened the door wider and allowed Rufus and Mimi to enter.

"Take off your shoes," he ordered them while taking off his, "and leave them at the door."

"No can do, buddy," Rufus shook his head, but frowned disapprovingly when Mimi removed her Jimmy Choo's from her feet.

_If he calls me "buddy" one more time_… "Fine, but you have to stay by the door," Matt growled at the bodyguard. "I don't like it when people step on my carpet with their shoes on."

Mimi stayed silent as she observed the furniture in the living room. _He still has the same furniture I bought with the money I used to sell my shoes_! _I can't believe it_! A single tear escaped her right eye, but she immediately swiped it away, hoping no one noticed.

The act didn't go unnoticed by Matt. _Good; I'm glad that she's crying_. _I want_ _her to hurt just as bad as I did all those years ago_.

"Matt? Is that you?" a female's voice called from the bedroom.

Mimi clenched her fists, and silently fumed as she thought about another woman raising _her son_; another who _her son_ called, "Mommy".

_Don't tell me Matt brought me all this way just to flaunt another chick around_ our child! _I guess it's obvious_ _he doesn't love meanymore. How can I blame him_? _I hardly love myself, either. I should've fought harder for my family. I shouldn't have allowed my parents to intimidate me to such a degree. I should've chosen_ my family _damnit_!

"Yeah, it's me," Matt shouted back.

"You're home from work mighty early," the woman yelled, again.

Immediately hearing his voice, a small, chubby boy dashed from the back, around the corner, and thrust himself in Matt's arms. "**DADDY**," the small child squealed as Matt scooped the boy in his arms.

"What's up, little man?" Matt playfully ruffled his son's sunshine, blond hair, nuzzling his chubby cheeks, causing the child to giggle, and squeal in delight.

Quietly, Mimi looked on through the dark shades and choked back several sobs. _He looks just like Matt_, she told herself. _He has the blond hair, the blue eyes and everything, right down to a tee. He's beautiful. I'm in love with him, already. His laughter is music to my ears._

Her head immediately jerked when the female's voice got closer to the living room. She wanted to see the she-devil who wrongfully made herself at home with _her family_!

Sora rounded the corner and wiped her hands on her summer dress. She smiled warmly at the father-son display as she casually leaned against the wall, folding her arms over her chest.

_**Sora**_, Mimi mentally screamed out her former best-friend's name. _The wrench who wormed her way into my family's life is no other than my so-called best friend_? _I can't believe this_! _What happened to Tai_? _I knew theyhadgottenengaged on Christmas when we were in high school_. _She swore up and down she'd wait for him no matter what_! _Yeah right, what a load of bull that was_! _She and Matt were probably planning this all along_!_I bet neither of them could wait until Tai started college so they could pick up on their broken relationship where they left off_! _IfMatt wanted his revenge, he certainly got it_!

Mimi thoughts dissipated for the moment when she heard her son speak for the second time.

"I'm fine, Daddy," MJ happily replied.

"That's good, that's good," Matt nodded as he grinned lovingly at his child.

"_Ahem_," Rufus coughed, interrupting the tender moment between father and son.

All three heads turned towards the two guests standing by the front door.

"As _touching_ as this is, I believe you brought us here for a _reason_," Rufus spoke sarcastically.

"_Mmm_, _hmm_," Mimi nodded in agreement, her plump, Bobbi Brown covered lips were now in a deep, menacing scowl—mainly directed at the redhead who stood against the wall. She spread her legs, and placed her hands on her hips, baring her teeth at Sora.

"Oh, Matt," Sora fidgeted under the woman's hard scrutiny. She was glad she couldn't see the woman's eyes, but she didn't have to. She knew the woman was angry with her, but for what, Sora didn't have a clue. "You didn't tell me you brought company…"

"Ah, yes," Matt's lips curled up in an eager grin as he headed towards the angry guests standing by the door, cradling MJ. "Sora, I brought someone I think you'll be _very_ surprised to see…"

"Cut the bull, Matt," Mimi spat at her son's father. She removed her shades in her haste, and set her cold, hard, brown eyes on her former friend. "I get it, you're mad at me, but this is _low_."

Matt looked at the mother of his child confusingly. "Wha…what are you talking about…?"

Sora narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus on the angry, blue-haired woman. "You look…_familiar_… Do I know you?"

Before Mimi could reply with a scathing response, MJ leapt from Matt's arms, and ran towards the pop star.

Stretching out his arms, he hugged her knees, and shouted, "**MIMI**!"


	4. Mine Again

Special thanks to **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** for beta reading!

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want U, Too)** Chapter 4: _Will You Be Mine Again?_

Sora's back went rigid with disbelief when she heard MJ scream Mimi's name. She narrowed her eyes a little at the visitor as she tried to get a good look at the blue-haired pop star. "Mimi? Is that really you?" She moved her feet closer to the duo, but the singer paid the redhead no attention.

Instead, Mimi focused her brown eyes on the blue-eyed, three-year-old blond boy holding her knees affectionately. For the first time in her life, she was speechless; she was at a complete loss for words.

MJ looked up at his favorite singer and gave her a wide, toothy grin. "I can't believe it's you! I see you on TV everyday, and…and…I know all of your songs…and…and my Daddy thinks you're very pretty!"

Mimi's cheeks flushed from the excited boy's compliment. She chuckled and gave her son a loving smile. She began to speak, but was interrupted by Rufus.

He glared at Matt, and said, "_This_ is why you brought Mimi here; to meet your son? Mimi's a _very_ busy woman, she doesn't have time…"

Mimi raised her arm, using her palm to ignore him. "It's alright, Rufus. I _want _to be here. I don't want to be anywhere else right now."

Rufus started to protest, but Mimi ignored him. She kneeled in front of her son and ruffled his sunshine hair.

_His hair feels just like silk._ Tears threatened to escape from her lids for the second time that day, but she blinked them away.

"That's very nice of you to say that," Mimi replied with a smile. "Tell me, what's your name?" Of course, she already knew his name but she wanted to hear the words from MJ's lips.

"Yamato Junior," MJ boasted proudly, "but everyone calls me 'MJ'! I was named after my Daddy!"

Mimi's eyes landed on the proud father, whose expression was neutral. However, his blue eyes held so much emotion as he watched their son conversing with his mother for the first time.

As MJ fingered Mimi's long, ice blue strands, he looked at her and said, "I think your hair's pretty, Mimi."

Mimi looked at her son and thanked him for his compliment. "Thank you, MJ." She ruffled his hair. "Your hair is very pretty, too. How old are you?"

"I'm…" MJ held up his last three fingers and made an "OK" sign, "…this many!"

"Wow, three years old, huh?"

MJ nodded happily.

"That's a very great age," Mimi's smile broke out into a full, proud grin. _He is so cute_.

"Uh…Mimi…?" Sora hesitantly reached her arm forward towards her best friend. She immediately jerked back when Mimi's heartfelt grin became a growl directed towards her.

The pop star untwined her fingers from MJ's hair, and stood face-to-face with her _former_ best friend.

"Sora."

Sora blinked in confusion from the amount of hatred and venom Mimi used to speak her name. She watched as Mimi folded her arms over her chest, and set those cold, chocolate eyes on her.

She could not decipher her best friend's nasty demeanor, Sora stammered, "It's…it's nice to see you…again…"

"_Humph_!" Mimi rolled her eyes and snorted at the family-stealing vamp in front of her. With malice tainting her voice, she replied, "Too bad I can't say the same for you."

"_**WHAT**_?" Matt hollered at his son's mother. "Mimi, that was uncalled for! What's your problem?"

Sora's face paled instantly. _She's…she's not happy to see me_…?

Before Mimi could tell her son's father that her "problem" was the redheaded, man-stealing wench standing in front of her, another presence entered the living room.

Yagami Tai dried his wet hands on his shirt and approached his fiancée for a quick kiss. "I heard MJ shouting Mimi's name from the bathroom. Is he watching her on TV?"

"No, Uncle Tai!" MJ faced the brunet with an excited grin plastered on his face. "Mimi's right here!" He clutched Mimi's hand with his small, chubby one, presenting the flustered pop singer to her old high school friend. "_Look_!"

Tai faced the blushing woman and frowned in his state of confusion. "Mimi? You mean as in Matt's Mimi, Mimi?"

Mimi's face darkened even more.

"The one and only," the Cheshire-grinning father replied, never making an attempt to correct his best friend about the possessive phrase of "Matt's Mimi".

"Tai…?" the celebrity managed to speak after she regained consciousness from her momentary state of shock. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tai repeated with emphasis. He blinked rapidly, trying to understand why Mimi would suddenly appear after three years of being gone. "I'm here with Sora."

"You're…here with Sora…" Mimi glanced back and forth between the two, "but…isn't Sora with Matt…?"

"**WHAT**?" both adults shouted.

"I'm not with Matt…"

"Sora's not my girlfriend…"

"B-but…when I saw…her… Oh, dear…" Mimi lowered her gaze from the trio, and blushed in shame. _I'm making a fool out of myself. Sora and Tai are still together. What was I thinking_?

"So, that explains your cold demeanor towards me," Sora folded her arms and gave her best friend a pointed look. "You have nothing to worry about, Meems. Matt and I are not a couple."

Mimi lifted her head and looked in her friend's sienna eyes. Blinking away more tears as they threatened to spill from her lids, she said, "I'm…I'm sorry, Sora. I…I just thought when I saw you here and…"

"Say no more," Sora smiled gently as she too, blinked away sudden tears. She stepped forward and gathered Mimi in her arms, who in return, circled her arms around her best friend.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" the redhead whispered in Mimi's ear.

"_Yes_," Mimi nodded at the tears she desperately tried to fight back poured from her eyes. She released her arms from around her to look Sora in her sienna eyes. "I can't believe I thought you and Matt were a couple."

"No…" Sora looked down and blushed. She fingered her engagement ring and replied, "Tai and I are still together…"

"Yeah;" Tai wrapped his arm around Sora's shoulder lovingly, grabbed her left hand, and planted a gentle kiss on it. "There's no way that Blondie over there is going to take _my woman_." He jerked his thumb in Matt's direction.

"Retard, I don't _want_ your woman!" Matt balled his hands into fists, ready to lunge forward at his smirking best friend.

"Besides," Tai wrapped his arms around Sora's waist, pulling her back against his chest as he continued to speak to Mimi, ignoring his best friend beside him. "I'm trying to knock up Sora this summer. There's no way I'm going to let her go off and be with another man."

"**TAI**!" Sora's face darkened burgundy due to extreme embarrassment. "Can you keep our private affairs _private_?"

"Aw, c'mon Sora," Tai scratched the back of his head and gushed. "Everybody knows we're knockin' boots, anyway!"

"Oh my goodness, I think I'm going to need a drink." Sora untangled herself from her fiancé's hold, and turned around to head towards the kitchen for a glass of water.

Mimi giggled at the couple completely amused at their display of affection. _I see Tai hasn't changed._ Mimi felt something tug her arm. She looked down and saw MJ tugging her wrist to get her attention.

"Mimi?"

Her eyes filled with unshed tears once more, as she smiled at her only child, "Yes, MJ?"

"What does 'knockin' boots' mean? Why does everyone know Uncle Tai and Aunt Sora are knockin' them except me?"

The now blushing pop singer turned around to face her bodyguard for support, who in turn looked down to avoid her stare. She glanced at Tai, who was staring at a far wall to avoid Matt's evil glare.

"Way to go, dummy!" his best friend yelled at the brunet. "Now look at what you did!" Matt scooped MJ in his arms and carried him to the kitchen. "Don't worry about what Tai said. He's just being his usual self. You just stay in here with Aunt Sora for now, okay?"

MJ released an irritated sigh and huffed, "Okay…"

After depositing his son in the kitchen, Matt returned to the living room to face the mother of his child. "It's nice to see you after three years Mimi."

Mimi gulped, and mentally shook her limbs to loosen her nerves. "Likewise, Matt; how's…how life is treating you these days…?"

"I'm alive, aren't I?" he replied dryly as he examined her expensive attire with his brow rose. "Although, I must admit that _my _son and I aren't doing as good as you are. I should be asking _you _that question. How's life treating _you_, Mimi?"

_Great, just as I thought—he _is _mad. _The singer looked at Rufus, who just shrugged in return. She grabbed her arm and looked down at the worn, carpeted floor before replying. "I…I can't complain…"

"I bet you can't."

"Hey, everybody," Tai interceded and in perfect timing, too. "There's no need for hostility. It's obvious everyone's doing pretty fine since high school," he faced Mimi, "especially you, Mimi. It must be nice, being on TV and selling records, and all…"

Mimi shrugged nonchalantly, never making eye contact with her friend. "It's…okay…I guess…"

"Ahem, excuse me, Miss," Rufus coughed, interrupting Tai and Mimi's conversation. "We should be heading back to the hotel. You have rehearsals tonight, and it would be wise for you to get some rest before then."

Mimi turned and gave her security guard a grateful smile. "You're right, Rufus. I suppose we did lose track of time."

"_Aw_, you're leaving already?" Tai's shoulders sagged, and he pouted childishly, "but you just got here, didn't you?"

"Yeah, she's leaving." Matt folded his arms and rolled his eyes at his son's mother. "It's what she does best, Tai. Don't you realize that by now?"

"Please don't be like that, Matt…" the pop star tried to reason with her child's father. "You have to understand that I have priorities…"

"Do those _priorities_ come before _us_?" Matt pointed at himself, but Mimi knew he meant him and MJ.

_Great, he is trying to force me to choose between my career and my family…_

Rufus took the initiative to grab Mimi's hand and yank her towards the front door. "It was really nice meeting you," he lied; he was in a hurry to leave the apartment, and he could tell from Mimi's nervous stance that she was uncomfortable, too. "Unfortunately Mimi is a _very_ busy woman, and it's time for her to go…"

"Rufus, wait!" Mimi cried as she yanked her arm from his grasp. She bent down, slipped into her heels, and dug in her Lulu Guinness clutch to retrieve four plastic cards.

Stretching her hand out to Tai, she said, "I want you all to have these."

Tai opened his palm to accept the cards. Inspecting them closely, he asked, "Uh…what are they?"

"They're VIP passes to my concert tonight. You all should come. You, Sora," she glanced at her baby's father, "Matt, and MJ. I know it's not much, but it's the least I can do…"

"Say no more, Meems," the wild-haired brunet grinned at his fiancée's best friend. "You have my word that we'll be there!"

"Heh," Matt scoffed at the audacity of his former lover. "Can you believe this, Tai? We have to attend a _concert_ in order to see her again!"

"Oh, Matt…" Mimi softly whispered as she slipped on her shades and turned around to escape his apartment with Rufus.

"Aren't you going to at least say 'goodbye' to us?" Matt challenged the blue-haired idol.

Mimi glanced over her shoulder at her friends and shook her head before leaving the apartment with no words spoken.

"You see that, Tai," Matt hollered at his best friend. "She hasn't changed at all! She is still the same old, shallow Mimi; she has just gotten older! The nerve of her…giving us _passes_ to see her! Why I ought to…"

"Come on, Matt, cut her some slack." Sora entered the living room one more time, balancing MJ on her hip. "At least she's trying. This cannot be easy for her, either. I told you yesterday that she's not the same Mimi, anymore. She cannot just cancel everything in her life for us. She's a celebrity for Kami's sake."

"What do you mean she can't cancel everything?" Matt frowned at his babysitter. "Of course she can! If she really cares for us, she would cancel everything without question."

"It's not that easy…"

"Oh, stop fussing you two!" _Wow, am I the referee for today or what_, Tai wondered as he interrupted Sora and Matt's argument. "Sora, you're fighting a lost cause. We both know that Matt has always been selfish whenever it came to Mimi. So of course he's going to want her to quit her career to be with him."

"_What_?" Matt's eyes widened as he faced his longtime friend.

Ignoring him, Tai continued. "Besides, I don't know about the rest of you, but I plan to enjoy myself tonight at her concert. I'm out of school for the summer, and I deserve to have some fun! I want to see what all of this Mimi fuss is about, anyway."

Sora nodded in agreement and gave her fiancé a smile. "You're right, Tai. I want to see her show, too. Neither of us has seen Mimi sing onstage since the birthday party that she gave Matt and Jun three years ago. It'd be nice to watch her at…_work_ per se."

"Plus it's free," Tai grinned playfully. "Well, that's settles it! We're going to Mimi's show tonight."

"Humph," Matt sat on the sofa and snorted. "You two can go all you want, but MJ and I are staying right here!"

"_You_ can stay here tonight all alone if you want to, but Tai, MJ, and I are _going to the show_!" Sora marched over to the fuming man and gave him a hard pinch on the shoulder.

"_Yeouch…_!" Matt rubbed his shoulder in an attempt to ebb the pain as he gave the redhead a wide-eyed look. "What was _that_ for?"

"For being unfair and stubborn, that's _what_!" Sora placed MJ on his feet and glared at his father. "Just because _you're_ holding a grudge against Mimi doesn't mean MJ shouldn't see her tonight! He of _all_ people deserves to see Mimi—do not take your anger at her and use him to gain the upper hand. You saw his reaction when Mimi came over; he was _ecstatic_! Why would you want to take that away from him?"

Matt pursed his lips together and looked down at the floor in shame. "You're right, Sora. I wasn't thinking, and I _was _being unfair…"

"Now," Sora folded her arms over her breasts and smirked triumphantly, "that's more like it. You're coming with us to the show tonight, _and_ you're going to have a good time, understand?"

"Yes, Sora…" Matt replied dryly as he sighed in embarrassment.

Tai glided over towards his woman and gave her a hard kiss on her lips. "I love you, babe. You're one tough cookie, you know that?"

Sora's cheeks tinted scarlet as she giggled. "Well, darling, what can I say? I try."

- - - - -

"So, you have a three-year-old son?" Rufus asked Mimi as they rode in the limo on their way back to the hotel. He continued before she could say anything. "Don't ask me how I know this, because it was pretty obvious how you reacted to MJ back in there. You've met plenty of children throughout the world, and I can say from my personal experience in dealing with you that _none _of them had the same effect as that little boy in there did on you."

Mimi chose to remain silent.

"Plus, it was also obvious how Matt was acting towards you that the two of you used to be lovers once upon a time. That man was out for your blood. So," he leaned forward in his seat, staring at Mimi from across it, "when were you going to tell us about this?"

The "us" Rufus was referring to was everyone in Mimi's crew.

The woman in question rolled her eyes at her security guard through her large shades, and sighed. "The question is…when are _you_ going to tell everyone about this?"

Rufus' brows furrowed as he tried to understand her meaning. "What do you mean?"

"I can see the headlines now…" Mimi removed her shades to stare at him. "_The Famous Pop Singer Mimi—Has a 3 Year Old Love Child With a Grocery Worker_. What would the subtitle be? Oh, yeah: _She has been keeping her child a secret out of shame_. I'm sure the tabloids would have a _field day_." She smacked her lips and stared out of the tinted window to watch as the cars drove past them.

"I'm sure they would, too," he agreed with a dry chuckle, "but why would you think _I _would sell your story to the press?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Mimi took her eyes off the road to stare at Rufus one more time. "You would have a lot to gain from the scandal. You could make a _killing_."

"True," he agreed. He reached across his seat to grab Mimi's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, "but I would also have a lot to lose from it, too."

The singer raised a fine, waxed eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think you give the people who you're surrounded by on a daily basis enough credit. We're all here for you—at least I know I am." Rufus smiled weakly and continued. "I wouldn't tell anyone about your son if you didn't want me to. Your secret's safe with me."

"In this business it's hard to trust people." Mimi looked down in her lap and wiped her eyes of the fresh tears that began to spill. She sniffled and continued. "Everyone's out for themselves. I want to be able to trust everyone, but I just can't. That is why I haven't told anyone about MJ. Heck," she coughed a few times and looked up at him, "this is my second time laying eyes on him since I gave him away..."

"Hmm…" Rufus leaned back in his seat and exhaled deeply. "Well, I'm not here to judge you, Mimi. All I can say is its better late than never to finally connect with your family. At least you already know MJ loves you. I can tell."

"As _Mimi_ _the Singer_, not _Mommy_; damnit Rufus," Mimi turned away to reach for the small refrigerator to grab a bottle of Fiji spring water. Opening it, she swallowed a few gulps before continuing. "He doesn't even know I'm his mother!"

"In time I'm sure that'll change," he assured her, "but that's also a choice you're going to have to make…"

"What do you mean 'choice'?"

Moistening his dry lips, Rufus turned away and said, "The choice is this: bottom line—who's more important, your career, or your family?"

_Oh not this again,_ Mimi mentally groaned. She took another swig of her bottle water and reclined in the soft, leather seat. Closing her eyes, she allowed her thoughts to envelop her.

_Will I really be able to choose between my family and my budding career when it all comes down_? _I know it sounds shallow, but I love both of them very much. I have to have both_.

- - - - -

"Alright Mimi, you're on," Michael gave his client a friendly pat on the shoulder for support as he walked off stage.

It was time for the show's rehearsals and Mimi, along with her live band and back-up singers were present onstage. She stood in front of the microphone with her hair tied in a ponytail underneath an Ed Hardy baseball cap, a white Juicy Couture t-shirt, and pink Juicy Couture short-shorts due to the high humidity in the concert hall to preserve her voice.

"Ahem," Mimi cleared her throat and tugged at the collar of her shirt before she gathered up her strength to sing. She grabbed the microphone with one hand, and clutched the bottle of Fiji water with the other hand to soothe her raging nerves.

_I can do this, I've sung live onstage before, I can do this._ _However, Matt's coming, and so are my friends…and MJ… This time it's different, I am an emotional wreck… Can I really do this tonight without allowing my emotions to take over_?

Swallowing more water, Mimi closed her eyes and fell into the melody the band created to sing the lyrics to "Love Takes Time".

_It's ironic really; as many times I've sang this song _now _I'm getting emotional about it. It's because these lyrics are so true to my situation, now. It's funny I've never really thought I'd be able to relate to this song, before._

Mimi stopped singing to wipe away the tears that poured from her eyelids. The music continued to play, but the star refused to belt out any more words. _What's…what's wrong with me_? _Why can't I continue_? She took another drink from her water bottle and sighed heavily.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Michael hurried from the side of the stage, forming a "T" with his hands to indicate a time-out. "Stop the music, stop the music!"

The band did as Mimi's manager requested, and everyone silently watched as he angrily approached the singer.

"_What in the __**hell**__ was that_?" he screamed at her as he gripped one of his many cell phones to control his building anger. "Mimi, you were off-key, and not to mention you _croaked_ at the final verse! For Christ's sake, Mimi, you fucking _croaked_! You're _never_ off-key, you _never_ croak! What's up with you? If you're not messing up the lyrics, then you're taking a drink from that damned bottle! Give it to me!" He snatched the bottle of Fiji from her grasp, causing her to jump in surprise.

She looked at him with her large, doe-like brown eyes, and responded. "I-I don't know… I don't know what's going on…"

"Oh, I'll tell you what's going on!" Michael paced next to her, never taking his eyes off her. "That-that _grocery boy_ is what's going on. I told you the autograph signing today was a bad idea, but would you listen to me—_no_! The whole damned thing ended in a disaster, no thanks to that…that…" He trailed off because he was at a loss for words to use to insult Matt.

"Then he shows up and your mind suddenly disappears! On top of _that, _you run off with the boy! I know I told you not to go with him, but would you listen to me? No! Ever since you came back, it's like your mind is elsewhere." Michael stopped pacing to pocket his cell phone so he could use his hands to grab her shoulders.

Shaking her vigorously, he yelled, "You have got to focus, Mimi! Get him out of your system! The show is _tonight_ or have you forgotten?"

Shoving his hands aside, Mimi screamed, "No, I haven't forgotten! I just need to concentrate, that's all…"

"You're damned right you need to concentrate!" Michael scolded her. "The last thing we need is bad press about your first show! Keep your emotions in check!"

"Um…may I say something?" a back-up singer shyly asked the fuming blond.

Mimi and Michael turned in the woman's direction.

Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, he replied, "Whatever, Maria."

"I know this may sound crazy, but, people pay good money to see the singer become emotional whenever they sing certain songs. It proves that their favorite singer is really into that particular song. Also, believe it or not, the singer actually performs better when they're _really_ feeling the song, too."

Michael's blue eyes left the ceiling to stare at the back-up singer. "Perform better? Are you serious? Did you hear the sounds that were coming from Mimi's _mouth_?"

Mimi looked off to the side, ignoring the conversation. She wasn't even mad at all of the things Michael was saying to her. She was used to his mess by now. It's all part of the music business, anyway. The music industry is a _very_ vicious industry, and only the strongest can survive. Mimi wasn't weak. If she had to deal with her manager's bull, along with everyone else's to make her mark in the music world, then so be it. She's work with _several_ people who were _three times _as mean as Michael was.

_He's only in his overprotective manager mode, anyway_.

"Yes, I did," Maria confirmed, "but if you would allow her to embrace her emotions and really get into the song, you'll see what I mean. _Please_, just give it a try…"

The manager looked from Maria to Mimi, and shrugged. "Whatever; if you all want this show to be the laughingstock of the media tomorrow, be my guests. Who am I to interrupt?" With that said, he walked across the stage to stand behind the curtain. "Do your worst."

Maria slowly walked towards the singer and placed her hands on the woman's shoulders. "Mimi…dear, don't listen to him. Whatever you're feeling…just…let it go. It'll all come out. You'll see."

Mimi patted Maria's hand and gave her a gentle smile. "Thanks, Maria." She looked at her band and her back-up singers as Maria returned to her microphone post. "Alright, guys, let's try this one more time…"

She closed her eyes and thought about her family. She also thought about the fun times she spent with her friends in high school…the times she spent with Matt…and allowed her emotions to overwhelm her.

Holding the microphone Mimi placed it against her lips and starting singing again.

The audience roared with excitement as they watched their favorite singer float across the stage in an ice blue, sequined gown singing the lyrics to her song later that evening. Mimi closed her eyes, and her once-fresh, bouncy curls stuck to her face due to the sweat pouring from her pores because of the hot spotlights shining down on her. She tossed her hair over her shoulders, opened her eyes, and looked past the bright lights towards the hundreds of her loyal, screaming fans.

She wanted to smile, but she refused because she needed to concentrate on her past involving her lost love in order to continue the lyrics to the sad love song.

Even the spectators that were watching from the stands above felt the emotion the pop star was emanating. They continued to look on at the large screens as Mimi pointed her finger at different individuals in the crowd as she sang each, and every word to the next verse.

Mimi crouched down onstage, balancing herself on her heels. She outstretched her arm, closed her eyes, and shouted into the microphone, diva-style, preparing to hit her famous high-note.

She gracefully rose to her feet and opened her eyes. Her band ceased the music to pause for dramatic emphasis. Mimi lowered the microphone and panted heavily as she gazed out into the crowd at her supporters.

"**MIMI**, **MIMI**, **MIMI**!" they chanted in unison.

Licking her lips, she raised the microphone and spoke into it. "Thank you, thank you all…you all are wonderful…"

"_I love you, Mimi_," a female supporter shouted.

Mimi blew a kiss in her fan's direction. "I love you, more."

Everyone in the audience shouted with excitement one more time.

Tears of happiness and sadness slid down her cheeks, but Mimi never attempted to wipe them away. She allowed them to fall. The mixed feelings she felt now calmed her in a confusing way.

She was happy because the first night of her tour was doing better than expected. Her fans never missed a beat as they sung each lyric along with her. She felt like she was one with them.

Mimi stole a glance from the corner of her left eye towards the backstage area where her friends, and her son stood watching her perform.

On the other hand, she was sad because she knew her family was so close and yet, so far from her grasp. She knew if she really, _really_ wanted to, she could be a part of their circle. She would no longer have to keep her family a secret, anymore. Of course, that meant sacrificing everything she had worked for to gain success in her career.

As she thought about it, did she really want to? Did she really want to give up everything she had worked so hard for, when her career is finally taking off?

She stared at the chanting audience and smiled weakly.

_No matter what decision I make in the end, I know that I love my family dearly_.

Raising the microphone to her lips once more, Mimi sang on cue as the band started the music immediately.


	5. Say Somethin

I'm going to dedicate this chapter **XRazorXBladeXKissesX** for being so patient. I know I suck and I'm a loser for not updating sooner.

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want U, Too)** Chapter 5: _If it's Worth Your While, Say Somethin'_

"Wow, she's really, _really_ good," Sora admitted as she stood behind the curtain backstage, admiring how her best friend took control of the stage and captured the audience with every lyric she sung. "I would've never thought…"

"…she'd sound like _that_?" Tai interrupted. "I'm surprised, too. She seems so…emotional, though. Maybe she's just acting and it's all a part of the performance." Facing his best friend, he asked, "What do you think, Matt?"

Matt balanced MJ on his hip and continued to watch his former flame sing, ignoring Tai. _Tai's probably right. Her performance is just an act. The lyrics she's singing doesn't have any real meaning behind them. The entire damned thing is just a façade._

"Hello, Earth to Matt…" Tai waved his hand in front of the blonds' face and frowned when he received no response. "Fine, don't speak to me. I don't care."

"There's nothing to talk about, Tai," Matt scowled at the brunet. "If I had something to say, I'd say it."

"Well…_sor…ry_," Tai rolled his eyes and snorted. "Remind me to not talk to you while Mimi is around. You seem to act like an ass whenever she's near."

Matt glared daggers at his best friend before replying. "You're lucky my son is here, otherwise I would've gotten you good for that remark."

Tai rolled his eyes and shrugged, unaffected by Matt's empty threat. "What are you worried that I'm right? You know I am."

"I know you're being a royal pain in the…"

"Mimi's coming," MJ shouted as he pointed at his mother making her way across stage.

Mimi gracefully departed the stage, heading backstage to prepare for the next performance. There was a brief twenty-minute intermission to allow the stagehands set up the next stage set. The idol wanted to use her time to catch her breath and speak to her former high school friends before preparing for the next part of her show.

She met the others behind the curtain and smiled happily at them, wiping a few droplets of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Again, thank you all for coming. It really does mean a lot to me."

Sora stepped towards her friend and gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry about it, we all wanted to come," she faced Matt and raised her brow, "right Matt?"

Matt rolled his eyes and snorted sarcastically, "Whatever."

"Well," MJ began, "Daddy wanted to stay home because he didn't want to come, but Aunt Sora gave him a pinch and made him come!" he grinned innocently as he looked back and forth between his parents.

The singer faced her son's father and gave the blond a look of sadness. "You…you didn't want to be here?" She tried to mask the disappointment that was apparent in her voice, but failed. It hurt like a butcher knife stabbing her heart knowing that Matt didn't want to see her.

"_Ahh_," Matt bit his lip and set MJ on the floor. He watched his son jog towards Tai, who happily scooped him in his arms. "I'm here, aren't I?" he asked the mother of his child.

"Yes," Mimi sighed and fiddled with her thumbs, "yes you are."

"Mimi, come on, we need you in the dressing room now," one of the many workers called out to her.

Mimi allowed the person to grab her arm and drag her further backstage, waving bye to her friends. "I'll…I'll see you all, later…"

"We'll be here," Tai assured her.

"Bye, Mimi," MJ waved at his mother.

"Don't say 'bye'," she told him with a loving smile, "I'm not leaving you," then she was gone.

"She's damned good at this disappearing act, I'll say," Matt folded his arms over his chest and pursed his lips together.

Sora punched her fiancé's best friend in his arm and said, "Will you stop it with the insults? Mimi has to get ready for the next portion of the show! She isn't leaving us!"

"There's a twenty-minute intermission; Mimi doesn't need twenty minutes to get dressed." Matt immediately thought his words over again. "Okay, maybe she does, but…"

"…but you're acting like and idiot," Sora huffed as she placed her hands on her hips. "You told us you were going to be on your best behavior tonight, and yet you're still acting like a child who's crying because he can't get what he wants!"

"I told you one time before, and I'll say it again," Tai spoke to his best friend as he allowed MJ to climb on his back, "if you really love her, just go after her."

Matt thought Tai's words over and nodded in agreement. Cupping his chin in his palm, he looked at the brunet with determination in his eyes and said, "You know what, Yagami? You're right, and I'm going to do just that. Watch after MJ for me."

Before either Sora or Tai could utter another word, Matt sprinted away from them, searching for Mimi's dressing room.

MJ frowned at Matt's departing figure, and asked, "Where's Daddy going?"

_To jail if he's not careful_, Tai thought sarcastically.

"Don't worry," Sora reached forward and cradled MJ in her arms, "he'll be back."

"Hn," MJ shrugged as he looked at the auburn-haired woman holding him, "whatever you say."

- - - - -

Finding Mimi's dressing room wasn't difficult for Matt. Naturally, he assumed Mimi was preparing herself on the other side of the door because of the words labeled on the closed-door read, "Mimi's Dressing Room", and because of the large, tall Black man standing protectively in front of it with his arms folded. He looked down at Matt with unreadable eyes and snorted.

"Uh…hi…Rufus…" Matt nervously greeted Mimi's bodyguard. _I don't care how many times I see him; this guy will always give me the creeps_. "I was just passing through and…"

"Whatever," Rufus stepped aside to allow Matt to enter Mimi's dressing room.

Matt stepped forward, not questioning Rufus' sanity because the man was giving him a chance to see the woman he still loved. He reached for the knob, but Rufus grabbed his hand, preventing him from turning it.

"Ten minutes," was all he said.

The blond nodded in understanding, "Right." He opened the door and stepped inside, immediately closing it behind him. Rufus stood in front of it again, just as Michael turned the corner.

"Rufus my man," Mimi's manager gave her security guard a rough slap on his shoulder, "I take it everything's alright."

"Yes, sir," Rufus nodded.

"Good, see that it stays that way. I don't want Mimi to be influenced by any…_negative_ people, understood?"

Rufus knew Michael was referring to Matt and his friends. Everyone was aware that Mimi invited her old friends to her show tonight, and Michael wasn't pleased about it. "I understand, Mr. Williams. Mimi will be alright."

Without replying, Michael walked away and Rufus watched him as he left. _Something's not right_, he thought as he looked at the empty spot where Michael stood. _What role do you play in their story, Michael_; _I'm not stupid_. _You obviously have a lot of anger pent-up inside of you_.

- - - - -

Mimi sat at her vanity and gasped as she saw the reflection of her son's father standing in front of the door. She spun in her chair and gave him in incredulous look. "Wha…how did you get in here?"

"Does it matter," Matt replied as he casually leaned against the door and folded his arms over his chest. He eyed the mother of his child and smirked at the thin, silver, satin robe she was wearing. "Obviously I'm here for one reason, right?"

"You know you could get knee-deep in some serious shit if you get caught in here," Mimi gritted at her former lover. "Not even I would be able to get you out of trouble."

"Feh," Matt snorted as he lifted himself from the door to stand in front of her, "you never curse, Mimi. I guess that means you're serious about what you're saying."

"Why are you here?" Mimi stood from her chair and thrust her chest forward against his. "Everyone made it painfully clear that you did not want to be here. Now you went through the trouble of sneaking in my dressing room just too…"

Grabbing the back of her head, Matt fisted her long, ice blue hair and pulled gently, using the strands to tilt her head up. He slammed his lips against hers in a crushing, hot kiss, taking advantage of the opportunity to shut her up.

Reacting naturally, Mimi closed her eyes, pressed her hands against his chest and slowly crept them up to his neck, where she locked her arms around it to press her body closer against his, reveling in his body warmth. _I missed this_…_I missed him_.

Tracing his tongue around her lips, Matt silently asked Mimi for her permission to enter, which she parted her lips to allow. "Mmm," he moaned inside her mouth, "you still taste just as sweet now as you did three years ago."

_Three years ago_? When he spoke those words, Mimi's brown eyes shot open and she pushed against his chest, separating herself from him. Panting hard, she daintily touched her lips, which felt cool now Matt's mouth no longer covered them with her fingertips. "You…I...we…"

Stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans, Matt scowled and looked away, avoiding the look of shock on her face. "You…didn't want me to kiss you?"

"It's…it's not that…" the singer blushed and looked at her reflection in the mirror and noted the pink tinge covering her cheeks. "I…just…you caught me off guard…that's all…"

"You have to know that I missed you, Mimi," the blond finally peeked at her and held back a smirk as she tried to hide her blush. "I'm mad about how things ended. I wish it could've been better…"

"That's life, Matt," suddenly feeling extremely exposed, Mimi tightened the sash on her robe in an attempt to cover herself. She glanced at her former lover again and said, "Sometimes things don't always work out in the way we planned."

"Do you think we would have a chance to start over, you know, just the three of us?" Matt chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked down at the floor, holding his breath as he patiently waited for an answer.

She looked in his bright blue eyes, hoping that he wasn't serious about his question, but she knew he was. _Could we be together again_? _After everything that happened to us in the past_, _not to mention that nothing is the same for the both of us now_. _He's raising our son_ _and I have my career_. _I'm never in the same place twice and I'm always in the spotlight_. _I wouldn't want that type of attention bestowed on my family_. _They deserve peace and happiness. I would_ _not them to be in the center of the media's attention_.

Matt knew he wasn't going to receive an answer, so he stretched out his hands and said, "Come here, Mimi."

She silently obeyed and stepped forward into his arms, circling her arms around his torso. "Please don't be mad at me, Matt," she whispered into his chest. "I haven't stopped thinking about you after all this time. I haven't stopped thinking about you, or MJ. Things are so complicated now. Sometimes I wish I could turn back the hands of time and relive that day all over again. I would've been stronger, I would've stood up to my parents, and I would've been with you, but I was scared. I was seventeen and pregnant and I didn't know what to do…"

"So…you admit that you still want to be with me?" Matt tightened his hold around her, massaging the satin of her robe against her back. "Why can't we be together, Mimi?"

Mimi closed her eyes and sighed. _Mmm_…_that feels good_. "How," she asked as she pressed her face in his shirt, breathing in his masculine scent. "How can we be together? We live two separate lives. There's no way we could…"

"Will you stay with me tonight?"

Mimi's blood turned cold. She didn't know how to respond to his question. She _could_ stay the night with him if she wanted to. After tonight's concert, she still had another free day to herself. There was nothing stopping her, but _her_. She knew if she stayed the night with Matt, she wouldn't want to leave in the morning, or any other time.

"I…I can't…Matt," she softly spoke as she buried her face deeper in his shirt.

Matt growled as he yanked her robe, pulling her off him. His hard, blue eyes bore deeply into her soft brown ones as he shook his head at her audacity. "I'm not even going to ask why, Mimi. It seems you can't do _anything_. I'm leaving."

He turned to leave, but Mimi grabbed his arm to stop him. She spun him around so he could face her. "Matt, don't go!" she pleaded with her child's father. "You have to understand that…"

"…that what, Mimi?" Matt yanked himself from her grasp and frowned down at her. He didn't want to hear anything she had to say. Mimi was acting indecisive in his eyes. One minute she would say how much she wanted to be with him, another minute she's telling him they _can't_ be together. Which is it?

"The only thing I understand is you seem confused. When you make up your mind about me, you know where I stay." He grabbed the doorknob and turned it. Opening it, he exited her dressing room without uttering another word.

Mimi stood still in her spot staring at the door hoping he'd come back. She knew he wouldn't and she wanted to cry, but couldn't. She still had a show to do, so she had to keep her emotions in check. People train celebrities to keep their emotions under wraps; she couldn't allow anyone to know she wanted to breakdown and fall on the floor, wallowing in her self-pity about her poor choices.

_Matt_.

She felt pressured by everyone for the ultimatum that was weighing on her heart. She chooses either her career or her family. Her short singing career started not long ago, but Matt's always been in her heart for the past three years, yet she loved them both dearly. She enjoyed performing and moving people with her voice and her lyrics, and yet there's a part of her that always wondered what it would have been like if she stayed with Matt and the two of them raised MJ together.

Taking a deep breath, Mimi turned around and headed towards her clothes rack. She separated her garments to find the right outfit for her next performance. "Well, as they say, 'the show must go on'." She quietly got dressed, all thoughts of Matt disappearing from her mind.

- - - - -

"I'm ready to go," Matt caught up with his friends and reached for MJ, taking him off Tai's back. "We're leaving."

"I don't understand," Sora's brows creased at her friend. "What happened? You seem upset."

"It's because I am," the blond set MJ down and held his hand. He turned away from his friends and started to walk away, but his son protested.

"Daddy, I don't wanna go," MJ looked up at his father with pleading eyes. "I wanna stay here with Aunt Sora and Uncle Tai. Why do we have to leave now?"

Tai frowned at his best friend and said, "What's going on, Matt?"

Matt let go of MJ's hand, slid his in his pants pockets and kicked imaginary dust from underneath his foot. MJ quickly ran towards Sora and Tai, who scooped him up, again. "Nothing," he mumbled under his breath. "Just…well…would the two of you mind watching after MJ tonight? I just need to be alone. I'll pick him up in the morning."

Sora licked her dry lips and replied, "It's not a problem at all. I hope you get some rest, Matt. Whatever's troubling you, I hope you get through it."

_Always the mother figure_, Matt thought as he held back a grin, "Thanks Sora. I just need some sleep, that's all. Take care of MJ for me."

Matt turned around and began to walk away from the backstage area. _I need to get out of here_. _Mimi's pissing me off with her confusion_ _and I don't want stand here and watch her sing anymore_. He thought about what she said and sighed helplessly.

_That's why I'm mad_; _it isn't because of her indecisiveness_, _it's because deep down_, _I know she's right_. _We are two very different people living two very different lives_. _It would be difficult if we were to try to rekindle what we had three years ago_. _For Kami's sake, she's a fucking celebrity now_! _How would we even pull that shit off_?

Forcing his thoughts out of his head, Matt exited the area and headed home.

- - - - -

It was after one o' clock in the morning when Matt heard the incessant banging on his front door. He was suffering greatly from insomnia due to the events that happened in Mimi's dressing room. The last thing he wanted was to see about an idiot who dared disturbed what little sleep he attempted to receive.

Snatching the covers off his body, Matt clutched his wooden baseball bat that rested next to his bed and tiptoed towards his front door. He didn't know what to expect, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. People didn't just randomly knock on his door in the early morning. He didn't know who or what to expect when he opened the door, but whoever it was, they was going to be in for one heck of a surprise.

Slowly unlocking his door, Matt held tightly to the bat in his left hand, and used his right to open the door. Whom he saw on the other side made him drop the bat on his foot. He didn't pay attention to the slight pain he felt in his left foot, he only stared in utter shock as the ice blue-haired Mimi shyly stood on the other side, twiddling her fingers.

"Um…I…I decided to take you up on your offer," Mimi looked down at her shoes and spoke. She wasn't bold enough to stare directly at his face. She didn't want to see his expression. "I…I want to stay here…with you… It's…" her eyes traveled up his legs and she noted how the blue and white striped pajama pants hung loosely from his frame.

_Oh dear_…

Her brown eyes continued to travel upwards and she swallowed hard when she noticed that age only added more to his already perfectly sculpted physique. _He's_…_he's not wearing a shirt_…

She balled her fists, determined to gather enough courage to convince the father of her son that she was serious. Finally, she looked at his face, and Mimi couldn't help but smile a little. _He's so handsome_ _he's so perfect_. _His eyes and hair_, _his chiseled jaw_, _everything about him is perfect_. _How could I have been so stupid to walk away from him_?

Matt casually leaned against his doorframe and folded his arms, waiting for Mimi to finish speaking. "I'm listening."

"…it's…a little cool outside…" Mimi moistened her lips with her tongue and swallowed all her doubts and fears. _The worst he could say is 'no'_. _It's not as if he's going to kill me_. _Of course if he tells me no_, _I don't know what I'd do_. _I'm risking a lot by sneaking out just to come here tonight_.

"…I hope…I hope your bed's warm…"

- - - - -

After four months of waiting, this is the fifth chapter! I hope you all liked it. Of course, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going to happen between these two lovebirds in the next chapter. I'm not going to write a full-fledged lemon, though. It's only going to be a lime. I don't want this story to have heavy sexual content. That's why I wrote _I Want U_! LoL! Oh well, tell me what think!


	6. Stay the Night

Wow…it's been over 3 years since I updated this story! A lot happened to me in the past 3 years. I won't go into detail since I know you all are eagerly waiting for this chapter, so here it is!

**WARNING:** This chapter is 100% un-beta-ed, so if you find any grammatical errors in this, please let me know so I can edit it. Thank you.

**The Emancipation of Mimi (I Want You, Too)** Chapter 6: Stay the Night

Mimi blinked the sunlight that filtered through Matt's blinds out of her chocolate eyes the following morning. She rubbed the ache from her lids and turned over to watch as the father of her son sleep. Smiling gently, she tucked a few strands of his hair from his face to get a good look at him.

_Kami_, _he's so beautiful_, she told herself. _These years have been really good to him_. Sitting up in his bed, Mimi yawned and stretched her arms above her head, allowing her muscles to warm.

The singer covered her face with her hands as realization dawned on her. _I made love to Matt last night_! _I know I shouldn't have_. _I know it was wrong_, _but everything about it was_… right.

Closing her eyes, Mimi reminisced how the father of her son held her… the loving words he said to her as his body moved in tune with hers. _It was just like I never left_. _It's so peaceful here_, _not like the hustle and bustle I deal with every day_. _I could get used to this_.

Mimi's thoughts shifted as she wondered what her life would've been like if she chose her family three years ago. There was no chaos here. There were no nosy reporters, stalker fans, or untrustworthy people out to get her for everything she had. She could have peace, privacy, serenity, and most importantly… unconditional love. She wouldn't have to worry about meeting impossible deadlines, or pleasing the entire world. She could truly be herself whenever she was around Matt.

Blinking away unshed tears, Mimi thought back to the day after the 80's birthday party she held at her grandparents' home for Matt and their friend Jun Motomiya three years ago. The day she woke in Matt's bedroom and he was playing sweet melodies from his acoustic guitar. She thought about how each chord vibrated in her ear perfectly and she couldn't help but to sing along to the music.

That was her favorite memory she shared with Matt. She figured every day with Matt could be just like that… the two of them making beautiful music without a care in the world.

At that moment her phone began to ring and Mimi immediately snatched and hit the 'Ignore' button so Matt wouldn't be disturbed. After a few moments of deciding, the singer turned the device off so no one would disrupt her time with her family. I'll deal with the consequences later. _Michael's going to kill me_, _she thought_.

Speaking of her family…

"I wonder when Tai and Sora are going to return with MJ?" She quietly asked herself, gently getting out of Matt's bed so she wouldn't disturb him. She reached for his pajama shirt that was on the floor and slipped it on to cover her nudity. "I really would like to see him again."

Mimi smiled thinking about her son's happy grin, and eager personality. _He loves me so much_. _But somehow I feel like I would crush is world if he knew about my true identity_. _I'm surprised that Matt hasn't told him_.

Shaking her head to rid herself of all negative thoughts, the singer exited the bedroom and entered the kitchen to prepare a hearty breakfast for the father of her child.

. . . . .

"Where in the hell is _she_?" Michael paced around in Mimi's hotel room with his hands linked behind his back. He looked at his watch and the time read 11:33am. "She never came here last night! She never even made it to the club she was supposed to attend after her concert! What the hell happened, Rufus? You were the last person to see her before she disappeared!" Mimi's manager set his hard, blue eyes on the security guard standing before him.

Tugging the collar of his shirt to allow some cool air to caress his skin, Rufus cleared his throat and said, "Honestly I don't know where she went. She told me that she wasn't going to the club and that she just wanted to come back here to rest." He lied and he clearly hoped that it wasn't evident to the pestering man in front of him.

It was true that after the show, Mimi entered her limo and told Rufus that she wasn't going to the club. However, the major detail that Rufus left out was Mimi's decision to stay the night at Matt's place instead.

The security guard knew that he should tell Michael about Mimi's whereabouts, but he felt that it wasn't in his place to do so. He knew Michael was only worried about Mimi's safety, but his constant badgering wasn't going to make Mimi appear at the hotel any sooner.

"I keep calling her phone, but it's sending me straight to voice mail!" The blond shouted as he quit pacing and lifted his arms in the air for emphasis. "My texts aren't going through, either! Dammit! She could be anywhere and we don't have a fucking clue! _Ahh_! I just _knew_ the moment she would surround herself with those people, something bad was going to happen! I should call the authorities!"

Just as Michael reached for his phone, Rufus grabbed the hysterical man's arm and pulled Michael's phone from his grasp. "Now, don't do anything drastic, Mr. Williams," Rufus told Michael sternly. "Wherever Miss Tachikawa is, I'm sure she's safe, and I'm sure she has a good reason for her disappearance. Just have faith in her."

Sighing dejectedly, Michael sat on the hotel bed and cradled his chin in his palm. "You don't understand, Rufus. I worry about Mimi because I know that she can't protect herself. She needs to understand that she's different now. It wouldn't be safe for her to travel alone. What if something were to happen to her? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"You mentioned her friends earlier." The guard leaned back against a wall, never taking his dark eyes off Mimi's manager. "Why do you dislike them so much?"

Michael's head rose at Rufus' question. Before he could protest, Rufus spoke.

Holding his palm out to prevent Michael from saying anything, Rufus continued. "I can tell just from listening to the tone of your voice whenever you mention them. You seem to especially hold a grudge against that man who we met at the record story yesterday. Why don't you tell me what happened so I can get a better understanding of what's going on. What are you hiding, Michael?"

Taking a deep breath, the blond shrugged his shoulders and told him about his past with Mimi and his confrontation with Matt from three years ago. He even mentioned Mimi's pregnancy and his suspicions that Matt's son is Mimi's.

"Whoa…" Rufus blinked rapidly once Michael was finished telling the story about his past. "That's… that's a lot…"

"And I'm worried that she's gone back to him! Man!" Michael punched his fist and clenched his teeth in frustration. "I thought for sure that he was out of our lives for good!"

"'Our lives'?" The security guard repeated. "Michael… do you still have feelings for Mimi? Is that why you're so upset?"

"Of course I still love Mimi!" The manager stood and balled his fists at his side. "I never stopped loving her! That's why I stuck by her side after all of these years! If that man truly loved Mimi, why didn't he come after her? Where was he when her parents died and she needed comforting? Huh?"

Shaking his head in pity at the man before him, Rufus plainly told Michael, "Things were obviously complicated between the two of them. Her parents broke them up because of her pregnancy, and yet the managed to find each other again.

"Listen, Michael, I know you love Mimi, but you have to learn to love and let go. Whether you like it or not, Mimi made her decision just like she did three years ago. She chose him. You're going to have to move on."

Blinking the unshed tears from his eyes, the blond looked at the guard and asked, "So… do you think she's with him right now?"

"Truthfully I don't know what to think," Rufus lied again. "All I know is that if you love Mimi, trust her decision and _respect_ it. That's all you can do."

"Well… she can't just quit her life, y'know?" Michael licked his lips and spoke. "Even if she wanted to be with him…" he spat the word from his mouth like poison souring his tongue. "…she can't because she knows the scandal it'll create. She wouldn't be able to deal with it."

Not replying, Rufus looked away and thought, _I don't know, Michael_. _I don't think you're giving Mimi enough credit_. _But_, _who knows what the future may bring_?

. . . . .

Matt stood at the entrance of his kitchen wearing his pajama pants, watching humorously as Mimi made her favorite dish… the _only_ dish she knows how to prepare: shrimp fried rice with strawberries and whipped cream. _All of these years haven't improved her cooking skills I see_, he told himself.

Mimi stood with her back facing the entrance, and as she sautéed the vegetables in the skilled over the stove to add to the meal, she felt a pair of warm, strong arms wrap around her small waist. Sighing contentedly, the singer leaned back and comfortably settled herself in her lover's arms. She gently smiled when she felt his soft lips press against her hair.

"Good mornin' babe," Matt grinned into her silky, ice-blue tresses.

"Good morning, Matt." Mimi's smile widened. She looked down at the skillet and noticed the vegetable were slightly charred from over-cooking. _It'll be okay_. _I'll just add some more water_. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast, but you woke up much too early."

Inhaling deeply, the blond sniffed the air and joke, "It smells… familiar… You did this for me before, remember?"

"Oh you," the singer swatted Matt's arms from around her body and proceeded to finish preparing their meal. "Hush! Go wash your hands and sit at the table. The food's almost ready."

"That's what I'm afraid of…" Matt muttered under his breath.

Turning from the stove, Mimi faced the father of her son and asked, "What was that?"

Swallowing hard from nervousness as a drop of sweat formed on the side of his head, he replied, "It was nothing!" He proceeded to do as he was told, never questioning why Mimi decided to remain at his home after last night.

_I'm surprised she even showed up at all_. Matt thought as he cleansed his hands in his kitchen sink. _It feels unreal_… _having a celebrity in my home_, _cooking for me no less_. _And yet_, _it feels_… _right_… _like she belongs here_. Shaking his head to free his mind from that negative thought, Matt told himself, _Mimi _does_ belong here_! _And somewhere deep down_, _she knows it_, _too_! _She could've stayed away if she wanted to_, _but she chose to come here_. _She could've left after last night_, _but she remained_. _Hopefully soon Mimi will come to her senses_. _But I can't make that decision for her_; _she has to make it on her own_.

Matt and Mimi sat at the kitchen table ready to eat their meals… well… the latter was already digging into the concoction she made. The former on the other hand, looked down weakly at his place as he tried to find an excuse to not eat the food Mimi cooked.

Immediately there was a knock on the door, which Matt hurriedly and answered it, thankful for the distraction from the sweet and sour breakfast on his plate. "I'll get it!" He hollered out, and Mimi ignored him, continuing with her meal.

Tai and Sora entered Matt's apartment, with Sora carrying a sleeping MJ over her shoulder. Just as Matt was about to close the door, four more heads popped into Matt's doorway.

"Heya, bro!" Matt's younger brother, TK Takashi cheerfully greeted. "How's it goin'?"

"Hi, Matt." Tai's little sister, Kari entered the apartment and stood next to her boyfriend, TK. "It's been a while since I last seen you."

Nervously Matt scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Yeah, it's been a while, Kari. How are you doing, TK?"

"I know you see us standing here," a male voice spoke over the group.

Matt looked at the final two people standing at his front door and a wide grin spread across his face. "Izzy! Joe! How's it been, you guys?"

"Everything has been great, Matt." Joe greeted his friend while removing his shoes. "Now that it's summer, I can take some time away from university and just relax."

Nodding in agreement, Izzy replied, "Yeah I know what you mean. School's great and all, but sometimes it's just great to hang out with good friends."

"Tai thought that it would be a good idea to invite the entire gang over so we could all get together and do something fun for today," Sora spoke as everyone settled into the living room.

"Yeah, everyone's busy with their own lives, but since school's out for the time being, I thought we could all spend the day together. We should all go to the park. It'll be just like old times!"

"I'm going to lay MJ down so he can continue resting." Sora turned from the group and headed towards the back of the apartment, but stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Mimi sitting at Matt's kitchen table.

"Um…" feeling awkward at the moment, Mimi blinked twice and looked away from her best friend. "Hi… Sora…"

"Uh… hi… Mimi…" the auburn-haired woman spoke slowly. "What are you doing here…?"

TK stood from the living room sofa and walked behind Sora. "Hey, what's with the commotion…?" His blue eyes followed Sora's line of vision and he muttered, "Oh, shit. Mimi."

"Wait? Mimi's here?" Tai asked incredulously, while Kari, Izzy, and Joe all murmured excitedly in unison.

Grinning broadly at Matt, Tai asked his best friend, "How'd you _pull_ that off?"

Staring at the ceiling, the blond mentally slapped himself in the forehead and repeated his little brother's words: _Oh_, _shit_!

. . . . .

Thankfully MJ didn't wake up from his slumber. Sora made sure her nephew was tucked safely in his father's bedroom before making her way back to the living. There Mimi and Matt at on the sofa with everyone surrounding them, asking what she was doing in his home, amongst other questions.

Growing irritated with his friends' badgering, Matt hollered, "That's none of your business why she's here, okay?"

"Shhh…" Sora panicked, shushing her frustrated friend. "You'll wake up, MJ."

The naughty grin never left Tai's face as me made a circle with one hand, and used his other hand to insert a finger inside it, making lewd gestures with hands at the blushing couple on the sofa.

Matt threw a sofa pillow at his friend, which the brunet easily dodged. Mimi blushed madly while clearing her throat.

"How's it like being a celebrity?" This question came from Kari, and the singer smile gently in the young woman's direction.

"It's very tedious because sometimes I can't do the things I want to do, but it can be fun too." Mimi answered honestly. "I love traveling and meeting different people, but sometimes, the people I meet can be very scary." She told her friends about the stalker-fan she had and how her security guard, Rufus managed to keep her safe throughout the entire ordeal.

"And what about being on TV, and in magazines?" TK prodded enthusiastically.

Holding up two fingers, Mimi told him, "I only have two words for that: no privacy." Everyone laughed and Mimi allowed herself to relax. _This feels really good seeing everyone again_. _I forgot how good I feel whenever I'm around my friends_. _It feels like we never separated_. _This feels like old times_.

"I have a question." The laughter ceased when everyone turned in Joe's direction, noting the look of seriousness on his face. "I know in your line of work you meet different celebrities all the time. I wanted to know if you've seen Jun since your success. And if you, how is she doing?"

Not expecting that question, Mimi blinked several times before answering. "Ahem, yes, Joe. I've spoken to Jun a few times in America. She's doing… fine… However she retired from dancing…"

"What do you mean 'retired'? And why do you look so uncomfortable all of a sudden?" Joe raised a dark brow at the pop singer, mentally questioning how honest Mimi was being. He knew she wasn't a good liar, and he began to wonder what she was hiding.

"I… I…" Beads of sweat began to coat Mimi's forehead and her temperature rose due to Joe's questions about his ex-girlfriend. _Oh_,_ Joe_,_ if you only knew the truth_…

"Daddy… what's going on…?" a small voice sounded from across the living room. Mimi's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her son rubbing sleep from his eyes as he waddled towards his father. Mentally, she thanked him for the distraction from Joe's questions.

Matt stood and scooped his son in his arms. "Nothing little, man. Hey, how about we spend the day together at the park? You wanna go with all of us?"

MJ looked around the room at the familiar faces and stopped once his large, curious blue eyes settled on the blue-haired pop singer on the sofa.

"Mimi, you're here!" He cried hysterically. "Daddy, Daddy… is Mimi coming with us, too?"

"Um…" Matt looked away from his son and focused his gaze on the mother of his child. "I don't think so, little man. Mimi can't stay—"

Standing from the sofa, Mimi walked towards Matt and MJ and ruffled the child's hair. Smiling gently at him, she told him, "I'd love to come with you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Yeah!" MJ squirmed out of his father's embrace and lunged towards the singer.

Mimi hurriedly caught the boy before her son could fall on the carpet. Her insides turned to jelly and her heart fluttered in her chest when she held her son for the first time. "I'm glad you're spending the day with us," she heard him say, while he rested his head on her shoulder.

Everyone in the living room happily looked on at the precious site of mother and son holding one another. Kari and Sora blinked away unshed tears from their eyes, while Tai rose from his position on the carpet and gave Matt an encouraging pat on the back.

_What is this feeling_…? She wondered to herself. _I never felt this before_. _This feels_… _really_… _good_… _It feels like he was meant to be in my arms_. _This feels like_… _home_.

. . . . .

I wish I can explain my hiatus, but really I can't. All I can say is that somewhere down the line I lost interest in _Digimon_, and I found a new love in _Bleach_ and _Naruto_! Now that both of those series got boring to me, I decided to read old _Digimon_ fan fictions and watch the series again, and my love for the series blossomed all over again.

I actually had this chapter written and typed 3 years ago, but I really… _really_ didn't like it, which is why it was never published. I re-read the author's notes and I know I promised a lime, but I just didn't have it in me. I realize that I want to keep this story light, which means _**no sex**_! (Lol!)

Since it's been so long, I had to scrap my original idea for the ending of this story and come up with something new! So this story is going to be pretty short compared to _I Want U_. It's probably going to be no more than 10 chapters, but they'll be well worth it. Actually, it's nearing a close now, which means hopefully I can update faster! (Lol!) Thank you to everyone who took the time to read both is and _I Want U_. It's greatly appreciated!

Now I have to write the final chapter to _Teach Her_, _Teacher_!


End file.
